Automatic seal.



No. 863,094. PATBNTED AUG. 13, 1907 A. c. RosNB-Room AUTOMATIC SEAL. vMPL10imm rILnD Nov.1e.19oe.

EZ) 71% mir Ma' w JW AUGUST CHARLES ROSENBBOOK, OF BROOK, INDIANA.

AUTOMATIC SEAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1907'.

Application tiled November 16, 1906. Serial No. 343,781.

To all whom't't may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST CHARLES RosENBRooK, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Brook, in the county of Newton and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Automatic Seal, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvementsin seals of the class used on freight cars, baggage etc. and more particularly to that class of seals designed to indicate, upon mere inspection, whether the same has been tampered with.

A further object is to provide a seal that locks automatically and in which the lock, when closed, is entirely concealed.

A still further object is to provide a seal in which it is impossible to tamper with the lock of the same when it is closed.

With this and other objects in view the invention consists in the particular construction hereinafter described, pointed out and claimed in the following specication and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. l v

In the said'drawings, Figure l is a perspective of my invention complete. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing part of the seal in cross section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a plan view partly in section of a portion of Fig. 2 taken on line 3-3. Fig'. 4 is a detail view of the extremities of the seal. Fig. 5 is an end view partly in section of Fig. 2 taken on line 5 5. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the device showing it before it is made up ready for use.

Like characters represent corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The numeral 2 represents a blank or strip forming the body of the seal and made of tin or other suitable material, the same being bent back almost upon itself at a point A, not equidistant from the extremities of the strip. The shorter piece of the strip is used as the upper portion a and the longer section as the lower portion a2. The lower portion a2, carries upon itself a slidable sleeve l1, the full purpose of which will be hereinafter more fully set forth. In assembling the seal the lower portion a2, is first bent into a small loop at the point l2, as shown in Fig. 6. The sleeve ll is then arranged upon said portion a2, with one of its extremities at the point l2. By firmly holding sleeve 11 in the position shown in Fig. 6 and drawing the portion a2 through said sleeve until the point l2 is immediately without the opposite extremity of sleeve l1 a new loop B, in Fig. 2 will have assumed the position of the loop at l2 in Fig. 6.

The point b, is the point at which the portion a2 is bent over the upper surface of sleeve ll and b/ is a point at which portion a2 becomes parallel to and rests upon the inner side of the lower portion of sleeve ll.

O is a point on portion a2 in a straight line with point b and is the point at which the free extremity of portion a2 is folded back almost parallel with itself and which extremity is made to lie within sleeve ll, making of said extremity a finger carried by the U-shaped loop whose base is B. This finger terminates in a downwardly bent extremity 7. A short distance above the extremity 7 of said finger a tongue S is formed by cutting an almost V-shaped slot in the metal and said tongue is bent downwardly.

9x1 represents a slot cut in the finger opposite its free end and 9 is a tongue bent downwardly therefrom. On the portion a2 almost immediately without the extremity of the sleeve ll farthest from the loop B corrugations l0 are provided.

Referring now to the upper portion a/, of the strip, the same is provided near its free extremity with a lip 3 bent upwardly and formed by cutting a slot 3 in the metal and pressing the lip so formed in an upward direction.

4a represents a U-shaped slot and represents a lip adjacent thereto and similar to lip 3.

5 represents a tongue adjacent slot 4a formed in the same manner as tongue 8 with the exception that it is bent upwardly. v

6 represents corrugations adjacent tongue 5.

In order to lock the seal the upper part of the same, a, is inserted in the U-shaped loop B, between the finger of the same and its lower horizontal portion when the tongue 5 enters the slot 9, the lips 3 and 4 pass under tongue 8 and when the upper portion a/ is fully inserted the lip 3 engages extremity 7 of the finger of loop B and lip 4 stands immediately in front of tongue 8 to act as an emergency lock by engaging the same if the first lock should give way. It will be seen that this construction forms a double lock, practically, and that tongue 5 prevents the insertion of any instrument to tamper with the locks while the sleeve ll entirely conceals said locks. The purpose of corrugations 6 and 10 is to show, by their presence always immediately without the loop B, that the device has not been tanip pered with, that is, a part of the seal cut away and an effort made to hide or cover up such work. Any letters or configurations to be imposed upon the seal should have their starting point immediately to the right of the aforesaid corrugations.

Having fully described my invention, what l wish to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States isz'- 1. An automatic seal composed of a strip of tin or other suitable metal provided at one end with a lip S, a lip 4and a tongue 5 and at the opposite end with a downwardly inclined termination 7 to engage lip 3, an emergency tongue 8 held ready to engage lip 4, and a slot 9 to engage tongue 5 and means for concealing,` the engaging members of the` seal substantially as described.

2. An automatic seal composed of a strip of tin or other suitable metal provided at one end with lips 3 and 4, a tongue 5 and corrugations G adjacent said tongue, the op posite end of the strip terminating in a U-shaped loop B, a linger carried by said loop having a downwardly inclined termination to engage lip 3, an emergency tongue 8, a slot 1) to engage tongue 5, and corrugations 10 immediately without loop B, and a sleeve 1l for concealing the eng't ing members o1 the seal substantially as described.

3. An automatic seal composed of a strip of tin or other suitable metal bent upon itself and having its upper portion provided with lips 3 and 4, tongue 5 and corrugations and on its lower portion, a U-shaped loop B, provided with a Inger tor engaging lips 3 and 4 and tongue 5 ol' thc upper portion of the strip, and corrugations 10 innnedately without loop B and a sleeve 1l carried by said portion for the purpose of concealing the engaging members of the seal.

Tn testimony that I claim the foregoing as in v own, l have hereto alxed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

AUGUST CHARLES ROSENDROO K.

Witnesses z O. B. StroNnIIiLn, JNO. J. SnLL. 

